To any pastors or church members struggling to love each other in a politically diverse church, I want to tell you that this may be the most important ministry you ever do. God is still speaking and you never know who God will speak through next.

After the election, I hosted a reflection for our pastors and church members. There wasn’t much shock about the results—after all, we live in Michigan, where the country’s division is our local reality, embedded in our towns and within our churches. But there were a few pastors feeling surprised, scared, and rewriting their sermons for that Sunday.

My heart went out to them because they reminded me of myself, back in 2016, as a pastor who had recently moved to Dubuque, Iowa, from Illinois and was also truly shocked at those 2016 election results. Little did I know that, in the weeks that followed, I would discover my new Iowa congregation was much more politically diverse than I’d imagined. My carefully planned 2016 post-election sermon, as well as my long-scheduled, pastorally sensitive “drop-in” hours the day after the election, were all based on the idea that I would be comforting Republicans—not the other way around!

I had nothing to give at that post-election drop-in other than some soggy donuts (I’d probably been crying over them in the car) and the deeper struggle within myself: if I could have been so wrong about predicting the election results in Iowa and about understanding the deeply held views of my church members, was I equally wrong about my call from God to serve there? I think I basically told them all that in my sermon that week, which may have been way too much information for some church members who told me “We really didn’t want to hear who you voted for, Pastor!” There were a few lonely moments that winter of 2016 when I thought about packing my bags, but I’m so glad I didn’t. That purple congregation in the swing state of Iowa ended up being my sweetheart church. Pastors, you know what I’m talking about.

Eight years later, I’m now living in my second swing state and I am so grateful to be your Michigan Conference Minister, a pastor to pastors, responsible for the care of our congregations. I came here with my eyes open, thanks to a plain-spoken search committee who helped me to understand that despite a national news cycle full of unavoidable stories about Michigan militias and pandemic pandemonium, this complicated and diverse swing state is a very special place to be.

So after this recent election, I don’t feel shocked and therefore perhaps not as much pain or disappointment as others do in the United Church of Christ family.  I am blessed to be here for such a time as this.

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